If you, like millions of others, are worried about overall hair thinning, you might be surprised to know that incorporating a simple daily scalp massage might help encourage hair growth.
Scalp massaging for hair growth? Sounds too good to be true, right? Well, there is some promising research to suggest scalp massages can help encourage new hair growth!
Studies have shown that scalp massages can lead to thicker hair by slowing down the effects of hair loss and increasing hair growth rate.
Intrigued? We are too. Let’s dive in and learn more about how to increase hair growth to achieve the locks of your dreams.
Why do scalp massages help hair growth?
Did you know that beneath every strand of your hair, there is a tiny hair follicle that has a steady connection to a blood supply? This blood supply is, in part, what keeps our hair healthy and growing.
It’s thought that topical hair loss solutions, like minoxidil, work by consistently increasing blood flow to the hair follicle. These topical medications do the heavy lifting for you. An increase in blood flow to the scalp can help support a healthy hair growth cycle.
Here is the theory behind scalp massages and hair growth:
a 5-20 minute (gentle) scalp massage can increase the blood flow to your scalp, and thus, stimulates your hair follicles. This stimulation may help nudge hair follicles to the growth stage of the hair cycle.
There is research to support that regular scalp massages can be a good treatment for those with hair loss that is related to androgenic alopecia.
It’s important to treat androgenic alopecia as it may cause lasting damage and miniaturization of the hair follicles.
How to incorporate scalp massages?
Studies have shown that consistent hair scalp massages can help thicken hair. But how is it done? And how long does it take to see results?
In a 2019 study, participants had an average scalp massage time between 11 and 20 minutes. Participants saw a “significant increase in hair growth and a decrease in hair loss” after doing these daily massages for 6 months.
So how can we incorporate this? One way to incorporate a new routine habit is by “tacking it on” to an existing habit. The shower is where we spend the most time touching our scalp. “Tacking on” your scalp massage might work best in your daily shower routine.
When you’re doing your daily wash and condition, just take your time. Spend 5 to 10 extra minutes gently stimulating your scalp with the pads of your fingers while you’re in the shower.
Spending some focused scalp TLC can help reduce hair loss, hair thinning, and increase the thickness of your hair.
This is great even for those who aren’t concerned about hair loss and just want thick luscious hair.
What if this doesn’t work?
Hair loss and hair thinning are often exacerbated by a whole host of factors such as genetics, hormones, stress, medications and even damaging hair treatments.
The most common type of hair loss that affects women is androgenetic alopecia, also called “female pattern baldness,” which affects 30 million women throughout the United States.
Androgenetic alopecia is caused by hormonal factors including the male androgen hormone called dihydrotestosterone (DHT). Some are exceptionally sensitive to this hair follicle miniaturizing hormone.
Scalp massages might not help fix the root problem but they may help encourage hair follicles to stick to your natural hair growth cycle.
Summary
Scalp massages could help thicken your hair! What a simple and easy hair care hack for beautiful locks.
If you’re dealing with hair thinning, scalp massages might be able to slow down hair loss and encourage new growth. You might also consider topical hair loss medications which can do the heavy lifting for you.
Scalp massages help to increase healthy blood flow to hair follicles which has been shown to slow down hair loss and encourage hair growth.